Preview

This Way For The Gas Ladies And Gentlemen Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
661 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
This Way For The Gas Ladies And Gentlemen Analysis
Few historical events were as gut-wrenchingly horrifying as the Holocaust. It inspired countless stories in the decades that followed it. One example, Frank Borowski's “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,” is a saddening story about a man working at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II. It details his experiences collecting the belongings of prisoners who arrived at the camp, and his interactions with another worker. A large portion of the text had the narrator describing various specific prisoners, and thinking about how they affect him. This section presented an ironic incompatibility between two outlooks that is worthy of analysis, and provided indication as to Borowski’s intent for writing the story.
The Holocaust was certainly one of humanity’s darkest hours. The Nazi leaders of Germany rounded up millions of Jews from across Europe and place them in camps to be exterminated or for hard labor. These actions were caused by the Nazis’ belief that all of the Jews were responsible for corruption and injustice in the continent. They labeled all of them in this fashion and sought to get rid of them as a group. Part of this mentality was characterized by depriving the Jews of their individuality. This is reflected in “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.” The workers of the death
…show more content…
It seems blunt and depressing on the surface, with its nonchalant manner of describing horrific events within the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. But underneath, Borowski could have been communicating a message about human nature itself. Several unique individuals in the camp impacted the narrator’s outlook on the world, and challenged the generalizing of all untermensch as harmful to society, a mentality which was promoted by Nazi Germany. This conveys to the reader the idea that their differences are what makes humans

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Kindertransport Sites

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Holocaust was one of the world’s darkest time periods. In the years between 1933 and 1939, the Nazi party had killed six million Jews. These Jews were brutally killed by killing squads, in death camps, and sometimes in their own homes. Perhaps the saddest part about the Holocaust was the loss of so many children. One effort to prevent the deaths of Jewish children was a rescue effort called Kindertransport (Holocaust).…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The feelings of anxiety, deception and suspense are three of the many words used to describe the Holocaust. Source B revealed how genocide was demonstrated in the Holocaust by providing evidence of classification and preparation. Likewise, Source C, a poem written by Pastor Neimoller, in which he describes the fear that the people felt when groups of Jews were disappearing each day. The day they came for them there was no one left to take a stand for the minority. In a similar way Source D, “The Terrible Things” by Eve Bunting, delivers a similar explanation by a group called “The Terrible Things” that caught groups of animals living in the forest one by one. Although when they came for the rabbits there were no other animals left to stand up for them. Exposing to us how in a similar way the Nazi’s would diminish the Jews rights though they had done nothing and no one said nor did a thing to prevent it. Therefore, the segregation of the Jewish people, also known as the Holocaust, is identified as the responsibility of the people.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Owen, Wilfred. "Wilfred Owen." Dulce Et Decorum Est, De. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two stories that I am comparing and contrasting are “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien. Also, “This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” by Borowski, Both stories contains vivid imagery of happenings during the German and Vietnam War. Also the two stories both share a similar theme which is war, yet there faced with two different obstacles during the war. The United States and Poland both suffered hardships watching their countries being torn apart and innocent lives taken. For a reason that no one has the answer too, but will always remember those moments. I picked these novels because just by reading the title I know that each novel is about a War that had a dramatic impact on the world. So the two…

    • 1532 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    People of America today are mostly sheltered from the poor reality of the world and are protected behind the safety of Laws and the standard social normality. Some people are so ‘protected’ from the real world that they have the impression that the Holocaust never existed. The denial of the Holocaust is assumably one of many reasons writers/prisoners of the Holocaust vocalized their stories. Eli Wiesel the narrator and author of ‘From Night’ expresses his experience as a prisoner of war, held by German Nazis, in his short autobiography. Wiesel employs imagery as a Literary device to reveal how they perceived the dehumanizing and harsh affects of the Holocaust and how they adapted for their survival.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The breaking of the human spirit is prevalent in all periods of history dating back to the beginning of time. There is an ongoing civil war of hatred that is prominent in humanity. Despite the obvious fact that all humans should have equal rights, people still deprive each other of these simple liberties. Such as during the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a horrific event where Nazis humiliated and tortured people of minorities, especially those that identify as Jewish. These people were belittled to nothing besides worthless animals in the eyes of many. The behavior of the Nazis, and their treatment toward these humans are an extreme violation in relation to the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, he describes…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As aforementioned, the survivors guilt he feels is something that is implied within the extract, whilst not being explicitly stated. Survivors guilt, however, would not be properly researched until the 1960s. In writing his experiences in fictional stories Borowski creates a testimony that cannot be questioned – as he does not claim that what happened is true, however it is described in such way that those who read it do not dispute his claims, which is relevant as this book was published so soon after the genocide, giving voice to topics thusfar relatively unspoken…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During world war II, the people known as, Jews, were targeted for deportation to concentration camps and execution. The term, “Inhumanity” was expressed in many different ways during this period of time. Inhumanity can scar people emotionally and mentally. Inhumane people tend to act very cruel towards other people, animals, and the environment. In the story, “Night” by Elie Wiesel, there were many merciless examples of how inhumanity was shown during World War II.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “Night” by Elie Wiesel I learned that the history behind the Holocaust is very inhumane. For example, in the Holocaust a total of 1.1million children were killed. The children were not killed in a very gentle way, they were worked to death,gassed, and cremated. Another example, most people think that Jews were the only victim to the Holocaust. This statement is proven to be wrong because the Nazi’s persecuted homosexuals,the disabled,gypsies and non Aryans. In addition, when selection came, the fit were put back to work;the elderly and disabled were sent to be killed. Another fact is that Auschwitz was the largest camp there was, It contained 3 camps within itself. Auschwitz was the worst camp to be put in. The condition in the camps were…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    If there was a god, why would he/she be so harsh? The text is compared to the book Night by Ellie Wiesel and from the poems “Night over Birkenau” and “Harbach 1944”. The book Night tells the story of a young boy and his father fighting for their freedom from the Nazis; Ellie Wiesel tells the story of his experience of the Holocaust. Both of the poems show the journeys of people and how they pictured all of the madness. Ellie fights through many hardships, but comes out of the Holocaust victorious! Ellie and his father were both willing and strong throughout the Holocaust, but his father escaped a different way. The theme states that during survival, people think about needs rather than wants. This is clearly developed in the poems “Night over Birkenau” By Janos Piliszky and “Harbach 1944” and Night to show harshness, survival, and fear.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During the late 1930’s the world was contaminated by the Second World War and the Holocaust. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Holocaust is defined as follows: “a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire.” During the Holocaust, the Nazis, under the command of Adolf Hitler, liquidated over six million Jews. There is one Jewish survivor whose story especially touched my heart and changed my attitude towards life for the better. This amazing woman is Krystyna Chiger. Krystyna and her family escaped the Nazi liquidation by living in sewers for fourteen months (qtd. in “The Girl in the Green Sweater” 5). Accordingly, thorough assessments of my personal experiences according to the life lessons of Krystyna Chiger descriptively visualize the Holocaust and its everlasting impact on society.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Night Figurative Language

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages

    When you read, do you ever felt like there is a recording playing in your head, telling the story to you? Have you ever noticed that each writer has a “voice” that is completely their own? Why do all of the great authors have a “sound” exclusive to themselves? Using precise wording and distinctive phrases, writers can manipulate your thoughts and emotions to help the reader understand the content of the literature. This is especially helpful when the subject matter is uncomfortable and harsh, such as the lives of inmates in the Nazi concentration and death camps during World War II. Relating to this book, Wiesel was imprisoned in Buchenwald and Auschwitz for being a Jew, and in particular uses his style to tell the tale of those two camps’…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the worst most detrimental event that has ever occurred in our history was the Holocaust. Arising in 1933, Hitler was in charge of this awful plan. Known as the Nazis, they strived to kill Jews or put them in labor camps. There ended up being about a 6 million death count of just the Jewish community. There were few people who would stand for the Jews, defending them and their rights. Some people even helped Jews escape from their death camps or labor camps. All of these people demonstrated moral courage by helping the Jews and risking their lives and everything they had to give the Jews a chance at life.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As we look deeper in to the facts of this event the deeper some are compelled to look from a sociological perspective. To this day the holocaust is used as an example of the worst man can do to man as we try to establish international laws to prevent things like this ever happening again.…

    • 1736 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Holocaust, the annihilation of millions of Jews and other minorities directed by Adolf Hitler, was a tragedy that overwhelmed Europe during World War II. The Holocaust is still a popular topic in the modern-day classroom and the discussion of hatred, negative stereotypes, and genocide remains as relevant as ever. This horrific historical event continues to teach the world lessons on the importance of respect, the influence of discrimination, prejudice, and obedience, and how, despite World War II appearing as the distant past, the messages and importance of the Holocaust still resonate through the population today. The Holocaust is seen as the pivotal moment of hatred in human history.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays